Posts Tagged "manufacturable product"

The challenge: Develop and prototype a custom circuit sensor application.

3D Innovations was contacted to assist in the product design and development of a custom circuit board sensor device prototype. The exact application was to measure specific amounts of units through an on board sensor that would store and transmit the data to a cloud storage system.

Using the client’s requirements, the 3D Innovations team was able to produce a schematic design to develop the circuit layout and determine Bill of Materials (BOM) requirements and the associated cost. Gerber files were generated and used for the manufacturing process. While the option of 3D printing the circuits was available, the conventional method for fabrication and assembly was utilized.

Integrating best practices for PCB design, development cost was reduced by 230% and prototypes were built in several weeks, saving 3-4 weeksin lead time. UL and FCC certifications were conducted to ensure testing compliance and approval. A production ready design was then delivered for manufacturing.

Results:A product ready design was delivered for manufacturing, while development costs were reduced by 230%, saving 3-4 weeks in lead time.

“Working with 3D Innovations, our sensor device was able to come to life and allowed for a quicker market introduction.”

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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.

The challenge: Design and development of a prototype mold for final product testing and market integration.

The FOG Safe is an environmentally conscious product designed to keep fat, oil and grease from drains and ultimately our environment. By reducing fat, oil and grease waste material from our drains, we not only greatly reduce our carbon footprint, but protect our landfills, gardens, water sources, streams and oceans from harmful chemicals. With this waste reduction goal in mind, the FOG Safe was created.

Using our product design and 3D Printing process, prototype molds were created to produce a low volume quantity for final testing and marketing integration. The data obtained during this testing phase has allowed FOG Safe to receive several patents and other IP protections for the product. Utilizing 3D printed molds, as compared to traditional molding materials, saved our client more than $8,000 in tooling expenses and reduced the product development time from months to weeks.

Results: By creating less expensive tooling we were able to save our client over $8,000 in tooling expenses. The functional prototype has been effective in conducting testing and developing use cases. The overall product development cycle was reduced by months using 3D Printing technology over aluminum or steel molds during the prototyping phase.

“With the assistance from 3D Innovations, a prototype part and tooling was able to be developed in a much shorter time period than traditional manufacturing and mold making methods. The assistance they provided helped to produce a design that was used for manufacturing, patent applications, and packaging design.”

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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.

The challenge: Develop a product that makes dental care fun for children.

When SmileyRides™ approached our 3D Innovations team, the startup had an overarching goal: Make dental care fun and interactive for children, while promoting life long healthy oral hygiene habits. With an idea and rough sketch in hand, we were able to take our client’s vision and turn it into a functional prototype for product testing, manufacturing and patenting.

After assessing this project we knew that 3D Design and 3D Printing technology would be the most flexible method for producing this product. 3D Printing is significantly cheaper than traditional manufacturing methods and with this savings, we were able to product multiple prototype concepts for consumer testing. Having these prototypes to validate the design and hand out to their target market for testing proved to be invaluable.

With our digital design process, we were able quickly produce mock-ups and validate the design, which helped reduce the product development timeline by two months. The detailed design we provided was manufacture ready and provided a seamless transition into the production manufacturing stage. Utilizing 3D Printing technology resulted in a cost savings of over $10,000 in machining and mold expenses.

Results: A functional prototype was developed using digital design and 3D printing technology, which resulted in a cost savings of over $10,000.

“3D Innovations is nothing short of amazing. From my initial consultation of an idea I had in my head and a novice drawing, they were able to bring my idea to reality better than I could have ever hoped for. 3D Innovations was detailed in every aspect, produced everything in a prompt, professional manner, and was extremely knowledgeable about the processes and the products. Honestly, I don’t know how I would have been able to get my business to where it is today without them. 3D Innovations is invaluable to me. They answered all my questions no matter how small or how big. 3D Innovations produces top of the line quality and is a pleasure to work with.”

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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.

Our 3D Innovations team worked closely with a group of young entrepreneurs during Startup Weekend Honolulu 2015 in the product design and development of a hands-free GoPro mount accessory. With only 54 hours to develop and prototype the idea, time was of the essence.

The initial concept was to develop a clip that would attach a Go Pro camera to the front of your hat for hands free video action shots. Using our 3D Design process, we were able to take the initial idea and develop a functional design. Numerous factors needed to be accounted for throughout the product design phase—size, weight and materials. 3D Printing technology was utilized to accommodate the rapid product development cycle. Several versions of the prototype were produced in a short period of time, which allowed the team to test and conduct customer validation studies.

With the final design, this accessory can now replace over a dozen mounts for GoPros, iPhones, audio recorders and lights. The easy to use and compact hands-free mount design makes it easy to take along on your next adventure.

Using our 3D Design and 3D Printing process, we were able to save over $4,000 in prototyping costs while reducing the development time from weeks or months to just days. The utilization of 3D printing technology led to significant cost savings, which allowed the team to develop several versions that were validated through the customer discovery process and led to the final production-ready design.

Results: Designed and developed a functional prototype in 54 hours.

“Working with 3D Innovations allowed us to turn our concept into a prototype and help win the 2015 Startup Weekend Honolulu event. With the assistance from 3D Innovations, we have a concept that can be brought to life through crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter. This will help us raise the necessary funds to mass produce this product.”

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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.

The challenge: Take a consumer product concept and turn it into a manufacturable design to be used as part of an Intellectual Property (IP) package.

A new customer was recently referred to 3D Innovations by a past client of ours, in which we helped them bring their product to market. With a simple concept in hand, this new client needed assistance in taking an idea and turning it into a manufacturable product. The 3D Innovations design team was tasked with taking a sketch, drawing and handmade prototype, and developing it into a manufacturable design that could be used as part of an Intellectual Property package.

(Photo credit: Home Depot website)

Once we finalized the conceptual design rendering, a functional prototype was developed using 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing technology. With the functional prototype complete, the idea really came to life. From here, the detailed drawings that we created were then used in the official patent application. With the design and functional prototype in hand, our customer began approaching several companies regarding a licensing deal.

Results: Working with a group of IP attorneys, the idea was successfully patented and licensed to a large manufacturer/distributor.

*[Note] – Not all ideas are turned into a manufacturable product by the inventor themselves, in some cases—such as this one—the inventor decided to use a licensing strategy to take advantage of the vast sales and distribution channels that larger corporations already have in place. Also, licensing is not always about the technical design, instead the strategy is focused on creating value for the licensor to add to their existing product portfolio.

“With the assistance from 3D Innovations, I was able to provide a rough mock-up of my idea and get a functional design along with a prototype developed that, in turn, allowed me to obtain a licensing deal with a large manufacturer within my targeted industry.”

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3D Innovations is a Product Development Company – from the 3D Design to a fully functional 3D Prototype & Product.